Bill & Steve’s Excellent C2E2 Roadtrip

Where does the time go? I don’t mean just rhetorically as in life, but specifically, where does the time that I intend to write blog posts go? (I know: writing stories, doing art, being a husband & parent…) Anyway, I’ve been meaning to write this for a week, but I figure late and shortish is better than never. So…

Had a great time at C2E2 the weekend of April 16-18, 2010. My trip to the con actually started earlier, when old pal Bill Willingham (whom I’ve known since we were both on staff at TSR, 30 years ago) invited me out for dinner in Lake Geneva. I was intending to hit C2E2 that Saturday, and he suggested I just ride down with him and hang out for the whole show. Road trip with Bill? Sounds like a plan. So, that’s what we did.

And, as I said above, we had a great time. Met Bill’s agent(s), went to a Cubs game with Bob Ingersoll and Love & Capes’ Thom Zahler (also my Twilight Empire letterer), and had some great meals, including a fabulous dinner with Karen Berger and the Vertigo creators. (Thanks again, Karen!)

Ran into a lot of old friends (and since it’s late, I’m sure to forget some – so sorry in advance), including: Adam Hughes, Kim “Howard” Johnson (John Cleese’s former assistant), Dave Dorman, Matt Forbeck, Tony Akins, Hilary Barta, Bill & Linda Reinhold, Jill Thompson, and Gordon Purcell, among others. I even managed to take a few pictures with friends — which is something I always forget to do — and maybe at some point I’ll put a few up on Facebook or something. Being hermitlike at heart, and living in Wisconsin, I see most of these folks more seldom than I should, so it’s always nice to have time to chat. Also met some cool new comics folks, and talk to some nice people at various companies, including IDW, BOOM Kids! and the aforementioned Vertigo crew.

One of the weekend highlights was moderating Bill’s Sunday morning panel. Since we’d been hearing a lot of “We’re not announcing anything new until San Diego,” from companies and creators around the con, we decided to have Bill pack his segment with new and interesting teasers (some might say spoilers) from his upcoming books – just to give the fans their money’s worth. Judging from reviews I’ve seen online (including here, here, here, and here), I’d say the fans were pleased with the result. (There might even be an MP3 of the event here.) Oh, and here’s a picture – though I apparently picked the wrong time to blink.

And that’s one of the things that makes being a writer fun No, not picking the wrong time to blink!) – having fans who enjoy your work. At shows like C2E2, most of us get to move from our pro lives to our fan lives and back again, at least a little; it’s part of the fun of conventions. This convention was a good one, best I’ve been to in Chicago for a long time — even though it was their first Windy City event. I hope they do it again soon, and if they do, I intend to be there. If I’m lucky, maybe it’ll even be another excellent road trip. (Thanks, Bill! And everyone else, too!)

Stephen D. Sullivan is an award-winning author, artist, and editor. Since 1980, he has worked on a wide variety of properties, including well-known licenses and original work. Some of his best know projects include Dungeons & Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragonlance, Iron Man, Legend of the Five Rings, Speed Racer, the Tolkien RPG, Disney Afternoons, Star Wars, The Twilight Empire (Robinson's War), Uncanny Radio, Martian Knights, Tournament of Death, and The Blue Kingdoms (with his friend Jean Rabe).

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